"Nyudsochetverg": why do some people post candid photos on Twitter, while others get in the way

Every Thursday, dozens of photographs of human bodies of varying degrees of nudity appear on Russian-language Twitter. They are usually accompanied by a hashtag, and within a few months its own tradition has formed around it. "Nyudsochetverg" has permanent members, its own memes and stories. There are even opponents who are trying to "close" the hashtag and poison those who post photos under it. We figure out where this phenomenon came from, what is common between the publication of your own nuds and psychotherapy, and who is trying to deal with candid pictures.

What is "Nyudsouchetverg" and where did it come from

This is a flash mob, where the participants tweet their own nudes. Nyuds are photographs where a person is completely or partially naked. As a rule, these are "home" non-staged photos without filters and retouching, which are sent to loved ones or those with whom they flirt.

Participants of the "Nyudsochetverg" do not always undress completely. More often, users post photos in underwear or even in clothes - with a lowered sundress strap, a raised skirt or a T-shirt.

Among the pictures with the hashtag # nude-four-day come across those that only have body parts, sometimes quite "decent": neck, wrists, collarbones, knees, ankles. Some photographs are completely "harmless" even by very sanctimonious standards, some with a clear erotic overtones. There are artwork with precise lighting and composition, and grainy selfies in the mirror.

Basically, women participate in "Nyudsotcherg", but there are also a lot of men's posts, and people react to them (for obvious reasons) much more calmly.

Nyudsouchetverg appeared on Twitter in early 2020. Its predecessor can be considered - "National Day of Nuds", which they tried to organize in the English-speaking zone of the social network. According to the idea, on this day, those who wish could send each other nude photos.

Something similar was decided to repeat in Russia by a blogger under the nickname Dead: in January 2020, he published the first tweet with the hashtag #NyudSocourt and an appeal to send him nudes. Gradually, the topic entered the public space: users began to post such photos directly in the feed, and not send them in a personal message.

Against the background of isolation due to the pandemic, there were more and more such images, not only in Russia, but all over the world. So "Nyudsochetverg" grew in popularity and began to fly into Twitter trends. Now this is a formed movement, which then subsides, then becomes more active, but in general it does not slow down.

Why do people post nyuds

They confess their love for their body

Someone goes in for sports and seeks to show everyone their raised biceps, cubes on the press, toned hips and a pumped-up ass. Someone just feels great and wants others to see it too. And someone, on the contrary, doubts himself and needs to be told something encouraging.

I work a lot on my body, but only for love, and sometimes I want to get a couple of compliments. For me, this is more a story about public approval, which I do not hide.

They try to accept themselves

After conducting a small survey among students, sociologists from the University of Arizona found that one of the main reasons why people send nuds to each other is to feel more confident. True, the study was more about intimate correspondence than about posting on social networks, but the motive is the same anyway.

I go with a knock to #nudethourth

Here I am a week like 21

May'2020

A person photographs his body, learns to look at it from the outside and shows it to others, even despite the flaws that he probably notices. There are almost no people who are sure that they are beautiful as ancient gods. The result is such a bold act of acceptance and a kind of therapeutic process. And when a photo is seen by more than one user, but hundreds and thousands, it is also a way to once again remind the world what an ordinary human body looks like.

same nya @love_lution

I try to accept my body as it is. And I think that the more people participate in such an action, the more people will see that bodies are different, there are no ideal ones. I had anorexia, and it is still hard for me to accept myself. And thanks to the fact that I see different people, it becomes easier for me to do this. I also accept my right to be sexy, the right to control my body as I want and to exhibit the pictures I want.

They make a statement

For example, they use a hashtag to express their position on nude photos: people should not hide their bodies, be ashamed of them and shake their heads angrily when they see such pictures.

I would have less emotions @lss_emtns_pls

I like that the times when “there was no sex” have passed and people groaned at eroticism, covering their eyes. But unfortunately, the society has not managed (yet) to rebuild completely. People still consider the body to be some kind of taboo. And around this topic can be deployed as a lot of beautiful and provocative, such that you can hurt and hurt.

Plus it's attention, which is nice. If you properly set up communication and tune in yourself, you can find very interesting interlocutors. And yes, this is an expression of love for your body, for yourself. It is aesthetically pleasing! Bright. Beautiful. Turns on fantasy, ignites even more emotions. I definitely like it!

Others join the flash mob to make a political statement and draw attention to it. In June 2020, people called for an end to the persecution of activist Yulia Tsvetkova, who was accused of distributing pornography for her sketchy drawings of vulvas and naked women under the tag #NyudSuternary.

#NudeThursday #SaYulya #YuMyYuliaTsvetkova

my body is not pornography!

In February 2021, other posts were already accompanied by nuds: in support of Alexei Navalny and those arrested at rallies for his release.

They are looking for interesting acquaintances and gain subscribers

Hashtags, whatever they are, are a marketing tool. If you speak out on sensitive issues and put popular tags, more people will see your posts. So, for someone, #News Thursday may well be a way to get an audience on your blog or find interesting projects.

Annie @annyam_

I participate in order to get another compliment in my address, and to some extent I am engaged in such conscious self-admiration. Plus, it began to bring new clients to my shooting. Sometimes really useful and interesting acquaintances appear.

Who doesn't like nyuds and why

The posts of "Nyudsouchetverg" usually cause a positive response and collect a lot of admiring comments. But there are those who do not like such pictures at all.

Not everyone likes "Nyudsochetverg", and moralizing posts appear in response to candid photos

Most often these are representatives of the right-wing movements and those who sympathize with them: traditionalists, adherents of masculism, orthodox believers. Their dissatisfaction can be summed up as follows: “Taking pictures in the nude is debauchery, and debauchery is very bad, only ladies of easy virtue do this. It pisses me off that women are now completely dismissed, from this in our country all the troubles. This was not the case before, the women were much more modest and everything was much better. Also, those who take such photos are stupid and cannot attract attention in any other way”.

ksyushonok @leeksyus

Most often, I just get negative messages like “And what, decent girls are already over? Are there only such sh *** left?"

In the summer of 2020, when Nyudsochetverg was rapidly gaining popularity, its opponents raided the pages of the participants, insulted and hounded them. And they even launched the hashtag #RussiaBezBl *** va, under which they posted contemptuous statements, memes and - suddenly - portraits of Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna.

Not everyone likes "Nyudsochetverg", and moralizing posts appear in response to candid photos

However, gradually the highly moral camp became less and less active, and now posts under the "enemy" hashtag are published quite rarely.

But in addition to the militant conservatives, there are also users who perceive photographs of nude or semi-nude bodies as an invitation to active flirting, exchange of candid pictures, or even sex. As a rule, these are men. They send dikpiks to the participants of "Nyudsochetverg", make various dubious proposals and then get upset when they are met without much enthusiasm.

same nya @love_lution

So far, I have only met with dikpiks that I did not ask for, as well as with requests to throw off candid photos in PM. I am not afraid of bullying on the Internet and can defend my personal boundaries.

ksyushonok @leeksyus

A person wrote to me that I was an uneducated cattle, because in response to the message "show the sh ** y, sell the pictures" I threw him a meme. This worries me in the very last place, while my mommy tells me that I am the cutie in these pictures.

But such messages can really offend the person who uses the tag to accept their body and see how others do it. This is already a problem, and it manifests itself not only under the #nudethourth tag, this kind of harassment always happens.

What the law says

Formally, there is no prohibition on the publication of one's own candid pictures in the legislation. But images of a completely nude body can be regarded as pornography and bring charges against the person who published them under the relevant article of the Criminal Code.

But the rules of social networks are much more unambiguous than the law. Instagram and Facebook prohibit the posting of any nude photos. Such posts are deleted, and their authors are banned. A similar policy applies to TikTok. It seems like it is impossible to post pornographic materials on VKontakte, but the criteria - what is considered pornography and what is not - are not listed in the rules. Pages and groups in which candid pictures are posted can sometimes be hidden from the search.

Perhaps, just for these reasons, Twitter has become the platform on which Nyudsochetverg took root and grew. She is much more liberal in relation to nude than other social networks. Some "adult" pictures can simply be hidden here, urging the user to confirm that he is an adult.

What you need to consider if you want to participate in the "Nyudsotchverg"

The main thing is to take care of your safety. Participants of the flash mob have already been attacked on the Web, and although nothing of the kind seems to have happened in relation to Nyudsotcherg, sometimes the persecution of “insufficiently moral” women spills out from the Internet into real life. So, as unfair as it may be, it is worth first assessing whether you are ready for the consequences. For example, to raids on your page or to the fact that they deanonymize you and start sending these pictures to your colleagues, bosses, teachers, mom and dad and cousin from Nizhnevartovsk.

If such a prospect scares you, there are three options: not to participate in the Nyudsouchetverg, to participate with the most harmless photographs, to participate anonymously. In the latter case, it is important to follow a few rules.

Remove personal information from the page

Real name, place of residence, study and work, links to other social networks, geotags and in general everything that can reveal your personality.

Don't show your face

There are services and applications that can find pages in other social networks based on a face photo. So crop your shots, use shadows, masks and filters.

Be careful with tattoos

If they are bright and noticeable, it will be easy to recognize you by them, as well as by other special signs.

Pay attention to the background

It is better to take pictures so that the interior and any unusual elements are not visible. If you have already posted pictures of your room on Instagram and everyone remembered your huge poster with Bob Marley, a lava lamp and a cabinet with a collection of porcelain dolls - noticing the same details on Twitter, people may begin to suspect something.